There has been a startling disparity in the rhetoric used to describe the state of the Scottish economy in recent weeks.

In fact, it's worse than that. The inconsistencies are caused by, if not wholly contradictory sets of research results, then certainly numbers that tell completely different stories.

Only months ago, it was de rigueur to say that the nation had 'talked itself into recession', something the American philosopher Chauncey Wright would have been particularly pleased with.

"Let one persuade many," he said, "and he becomes confirmed and convinced, and cares for no better evidence." Indeed.

The more we talk about Scottish recovery and Scottish decline in the same breath, the more impossible it becomes to talk about one without mentioning the other.

The evidence is there. Grayling's analysis of the Scottish media shows the words "recovery", "growth" and "recession" have appeared in almost identical quantities in the past month.

While that analysis is relatively arbitrary, there are other more robust analyses that have contributed to the confusion.

In February, a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey followed a gloomy set of Government GDP figures confirming that most businesses are fearful of a double-dip recession.

Within days, Nationwide Building Society's respected consumer confidence report suggested that Scotland apparently ended 2009 as the "most confident" region in the UK for consumers and, in particular, the most positive region for savers.

Then there were new Scottish unemployment figures showing a slowing rate of increase - a glimmer of hope that was duly shattered by a bleak report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development warning job prospects are on the ropes, as cuts spread to the public sector.

The Scottish Government's own rhetoric is equally confused. Alex Salmond himself has recently talked of Scotland moving "into recovery", while his own finance secretary John Swinney has warned of "very challenging years to come" and Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy has claimed that "the recession has only just begun for some people".

The real kernel of this particular quandary is that nobody is wrong. John Swinney's comments are fair. There are challenges ahead. Alex Salmond and Nationwide are also making sense - confidence is not at rock bottom and the country is trying to pull itself out of recession.

The real question is 'why does this matter?' It matters because thought is the parent of deed. Because there is a link between confidence and action; because confidence is not an entirely internal construct. A business must trust its own plans - but I have yet to come across a business leader that does not pay careful attention to the rhetoric used by his or her business partners.

The banking crisis has forced every business to assess the strength of its balance sheet, but the contradictory reports we read and hear make for an incredibly testing environment in which to direct a business. Yes, margins are being squeezed and signs of recovery are intermittent, but there is also very little room for negativity in the Scottish business community.

Effectively, the current trend is to acknowledge the daily drip-feed of bad news, while talking with confidence about recovery and growth. The veneer of success and commercial confidence has become a common denominator, where once it was the reality of financial uncertainty and economic crisis. This has an interesting impact on a business's communications - which, in turn, has a tangible bearing commercially. Those businesses that are performing well don't want to appear 'too successful' for fear of raised eyebrows and difficult questions from hard-pressed suppliers.

While the nation as a whole continues to struggle, success actually comes with something of a stigma attached.

There are some winners in this new world. Private investors aiming to take advantage of the perceived lack of bank funding have hit the ground running in 2010. Sustainable energy businesses also, challenger brands in the financialservicesindustrylikeTescoFinanceandVirgin Money, the oil and gas sector - many firms have negotiated these testing conditions and come out with a fresh impetus.

But this is not just a question of rhetoric, is it? These are not examples of good PR. This is the reality of the Scottish business landscape. We help as many clients out of difficult situations as we do support strong businesses shouting about their successes.

Who knows what to think? Yes, we're close to going into recovery. No, we're not out of the woods yet. The question that really matters is how to end the year in a better position than at the start.